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Cave Creek is one of those towns you must visit the next time you are in Arizona. Situated in Maricopa County, about half an hour northeast of downtown Phoenix, in the Valley of the Sun.

First settled in the 1870s as a mining camp the town incorporated in 1986; consequently it will celebrate its 20th Anniversary this year. In fact, a visit to the Cave Creek Museum is very informative and is well worth it.

Nestled on the western side of Black Mountain, the town recently took steps that will lead to the opening of hiking trails on that mountain, which hopefully will lead to its preservation as a nature reserve. In that light, in recent years Cave Creekers voted to buy, via a self-imposed tax, the several thousand acres that now form the Spur Cross Ranch Preservation area. This is a very popular local attraction that provides many hiking trails, of varying difficulty, as well as many guided tours by park rangers through normally restricted areas several times a year.

About 10 miles east is the Tonto National Forest, which just recently was blanketed in a foot of snow; an occurrence that happens roughly once a decade that brought many visitors from all around, the youngest of which were glimpsing the white stuff, in person, for the first time.

Cave Creek is well known as an equestrian town and seeing a horse on the highway is almost a daily occurrence. Many homes, usually on more than 2 acres, are zoned with horse privileges in mind. (Check with the very helpful folks at Cave Creek Town Hall to make sure). The two main equestrian events are Fiesta Days in the spring and Wild West Days in the fall, which attract many visitors to the town.

The main street offers western flavored stores, including many saloon-style Bar/Restaurants. And yes, you will see a horse tied up outside, just like the movies. We also have a world class five star restaurant, Binkley's, which is a treat this writer reserves for special occasions.

Buying a single family home in Cave Creek "proper", generally, but not exclusively, north of Carefree Highway starts in the low $400s, and goes all the way up to the multi-millions. At the higher end, many homes have between 4 and 10 car garages, and it is not at all unusual, on the weekend, to see motorcycles and antique cars touring through the countryside.

If you were ever thinking of coming to Cave Creek, there has never been a better time. Prices have leveled, if not dipped slightly, since the madness of last year, giving buyers an opportunity to negotiate a fair price for their next home.

I live in Cave Creek myself, and heartily recommend it.